Lamp socket



p 1942- P. w. KRIDLER 2,296,717

LAMP SOCKET Filed April 4, 1940 19 :1 1 10 Esme/1f INVENTOR.

/7/7 29 Wd/W BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAlVIP SOCKET Philip w. Kridler, Detroit, Mich. Application April 4, 1940, Serial No. 327,839

2 Claims.

This invention relates to electric lamp sockets and has for its primary object to provide an inexpensive and improved socket member adapted to be quickly and easily mounted upon a supporting member in a manner enabling removal and replacement of the lamp.

Although not restricted in its use, the invention is particularly concerned with the mounting of lamps such as are used to illuminate the dash, instrument panels, signal and like devices of automobiles. In this respect it is an object of the invention to provide a socket member having frictional retaining means adapted to engage the walls of an aperture in a supporting member to retain the socket member thereon.

Another object is to provide a socket which may be inexpensively formed by stamping a sheet metal blank. In this respect, the socket member comprises a substantially cylindrical sheet metal body, having an end portion of reduced diameter, and a transverse wall at its other end. The portion of reduced diameter is adapted to be inserted in an aperture in a supporting member, and has spring fingers struck therefrom for yieldingly retaining the cylinder in the aperture. The transverse wall has an aperture therein, with radial slots, adapted to receive a lamp bulb having radial pins, and to the external face of the transverse wall is secured an elastic contact support. The contact is so supported that insertion of a lamp bulb into the aperture causes distortion of the elastic support, so that when the lamp is turned to dispose the pins out of register with the slots the elastic support presses the pins against the transverse wall, thereby supporting the lamp in the aperture.

Another object is to provide an assembly of the character above mentioned wherein the contact, supported by the elastic member, has a depression in which the terminal of the lamp engages to support the lamp in a perpendicular relationship to the plane of the aperture.

The elastic contact support comprises a disc of rubber or equivalent having its peripheral portion surface bonded to the transverse wall having the lamp receiving opening, the disc having a contact mounted in the center thereof. Another object of the invention is to teach an alternative form of cylinder and transverse wall construction, with a view to relieving the elastic discof stresses tending to pull it angularly away from the surface to which it is bonded. In this respect the arrangement is such that the main stresses in the bonded region are in the most part parallel to the bonded region.

Other objects and advantages will become more fully apparent as reference is had to the accompanying drawing wherein my invention is illustrated, and in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view illustrating the socket member mounted in an opening in a supporting member,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross section of the socket member with a lamp mounted therein,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation with the lamp removed,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section, with the lamp removed, and

Fig. 5 is a cross section illustrating an alternative mounting of the elastic contact supporting member.

More particularly, l designates a cylindrical sheet metal body having a reduced end portion 2, separated from the main portion l by a shoulder 3. The reduced end 2 is adapted to be inserted in an opening 4 in a supporting member 5, and has prongs or spring fingers 6 struck therefrom and adapted to be compressed by the walls of the opening 4. The spring fingers 6 removably retain the cylinder I, 2 on the member 5.

The cylinder I has an integral transverse wall 1 formed with a central aperture 8 having diametrically opposed radial slots 9. Secured to the exterior surface of the wall I is an elastic disc in, formed of rubber or equivalent, with its peripheral portion ll only vulcanized or otherwise surface bonded to the wall 1.

In the center of the disc I0 is mounted a contact member comprising a sleeve 12 having an enlarged flange l3. The end of an electric wire M, of the usual multiple strand type, is inserted in the sleeve l2 and the latter is then crimped at IE to retain the end therein. It will be ob-- served, upon reference to Fig. 2, that the end of the wire I4 is spaced from the flanged end of the tube, thus providing a recess 16 in said end.

The lamp I'l illustrated is of the conventional type having a base portion IS with radial pins l9, and a terminal 20 insulated from the base as indicated at 2|. In use, the base It! is inserted in the aperture 8, by passing the pins l9 through the radial slots 9, and the terminal 20 engages the contact [2, l3 and stretches the elastic disc Ill. The lamp is then turned, so as to move the pins [9 out of register with the slots 9, and the elastic disc acts to press the fingers against the end wall 1. The terminal 20 of the lamp engages in the recess IS, with the result that the pressure of the elastic disc holds the lamp in a perpendicular position relative to the plane of the aperture 8.

The modified form of construction "shown in Fig. 5 is substantially identical to that above described, and the same reference numerals used above are placed thereon with the prime character a added to each numeral, in order that the same descriptive matter will be explanatory of both forms. The difference in construction resides in the formation of a frusto-conical portion 25, to which the elastic disc Illa is surface bonded. The conicity of the portion 25 is such that it substantially exactly corresponds to the conicity of the disc when the disc is distended by .insertion of a lamp. With this arrangement, distortion of the disc does not tend to tear the disc away from the surface to which it is bonded, but rather the stresses set up by distortion of the disc act in directions parallel to the bonded surfaces.

order toavoid the possibility of the disc becoming loosened by destruction of the bond.

Although specific embodiments of the invention are illustrated and described, it will be un- This form is preferred in cases where repeated flexing of the disc is contemplated, in

body .having a transverse end wall with a frustoconical portion terminating in an aperture with at least one radial slot, an elastic disc overlying said wall and said aperture, said disc having a peripheral portion surface bonded to the frustoconical wall portion and the remainder which overlies the aperture being unsecured, and a contact member supported by said disc in coaxial relation with said aperture, said contact member being adapted to be engaged by a lamp terminal inserted in said aperture whereby insertion of the lamp terminal causes stretching of the unsecured portion of said disc, the angle of inclination of the frusto-conical portion being such that the direction of stretch is substantially parallel thereto.

PHILIP W. KRIDLER. 

